‘How the f*** people were allowed to take a knee during BLM’: Michael Holding slams ICC’s ‘hypocrisy’ over Usman Khawaja saga

The Aussie opener, who was not given approval to wear shoes with the text, ‘all lives are equal’ for the Perth Test, had trained at the MCG nets wearing shoes with the aforementioned logo.

Usman Khawaja is on the left, and Michael Holding is on the right. (file)

Usman Khawaja’s “all lives are equal” saga continues to roll on, and former West Indian cricketer Michael Holding is the latest to give his opinion on the matter. The fast bowler blasted the International Cricket Council (ICC) and said he was not “surprised” by the stance they took.

“The ICC regulations say re messaging ‘approval shall not be granted for messages which relate to political, religious or racial activities or causes,” said Holding. “So how the f*** people were allowed to take a knee for BLM (Black Lives Matter), and stumps were covered with LGBTQ colors?” Holding said, speaking to The Weekend Australian.

The Aussie opener, who was not given approval to wear shoes with the text, ‘all lives are equal’ for the Perth Test, had trained at the MCG nets on Sunday wearing shoes with the aforementioned logo.

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Khawaja also had a sticker of the same on his bat with a reference to article one of the Universal declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

An emotional Usman Khawaja addresses why he's speaking up for human rights issues this summer ☮️ #AUSvPAK pic.twitter.com/3QDjUWpjgG

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 22, 2023

Holding further slammed ICC for not taking a clear stance on the issue. “If it had been most other organisations that showed some semblance of consistency with their attitude and behaviour on issues I could claim surprise, but not them. Once again, they show their hypocrisy and lack of moral standing as an organisation,” he would say.

Per The Sydney Morning Herald, Khawaja had checked the logo with both Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association and got no objection from either body, but a rejection of his application arrived from the ICC on Sunday morning.

On Sunday, Khawaja was once again denied to don a humanitarian message – this time, a black dove holding an olive branch on his bat and shoes in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza – by the ICC ahead of Australia’s Boxing Day Test in Melbourne against Pakistan.

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